Ravana’s effigy burns
Dussehra 2026
The tenth day after Navratri: Rama’s victory over Ravana, kept with Ramlila plays and the burning of Ravana’s effigy — abroad, usually at the Diwali fair on the weekend before or after.
- Dussehra 2026
- Tuesday, 20 October 2026
- Dussehra 2027
- Saturday, 9 October 2027
Dussehra near you
- OCT 17Nepali Culture Connection: DashainHurstville Library
- OCT 17Dashain Down Under - DA69Basantapur Square
Dussehra events near you
What Dussehra is
Dussehra (Vijayadashami, Dasara) closes Navratri on the tenth day. In the north it is Rama’s day: nights of Ramlila, the staged Ramayana, end with the burning of effigies of Ravana, Kumbhakarna and Meghnad stuffed with fireworks. In Bengal it is Vijayadashami, the day Durga is immersed; in Mysore it is Dasara, a royal procession; in Gujarat it is the last garba night; in Nepal it is Dashain, the biggest festival of the year.
Outside India the effigy comes to the fair: the Hindu Councils’ Deepavali fairs in Australia burn a thirty-foot Ravana, the Dussehra–Diwali melas in the US and Canada do the same on a fairground, and temples stage a Ramlila or hold a Shami puja. Diwali follows twenty days later, so many communities roll the two into one weekend.
Dussehra in Australia
Ravana burns at the Hindu Council of Australia’s fairs — Blacktown Showground in Sydney (24–25 October 2026), Mount Gravatt Showgrounds in Brisbane (31 October) and the Adelaide Showground (7 November) — with a Ramlila or Ramayan presentation before the fireworks; the Nepali community keeps Dashain in the same fortnight.
Dussehra in the US
Dussehra–Diwali fairs with a Ravan Dahan run on the fairgrounds — Pleasanton’s at the Alameda County Fairgrounds (17 October 2026) is the Bay Area’s — and the temples stage Ramlila; Vijayadashami itself, 20 October, is a Tuesday, so the fairs take the weekends either side.
Dussehra in the UK
Ramlila is staged by the north Indian associations and the temples in London, Southall and Leicester in the days before, and the Diwali melas of the weekends after burn an effigy where the ground allows.
If it is your first one abroad
- The effigy is lit after dark; the fairs run all afternoon, so arrive for the Ramlila and stay for the fireworks.
- Vijayadashami is held auspicious for starting anything new — a class, a business, a child’s first lesson.
Dussehra is better with people near you
Free, in every country. Everything below is ranked by how far it is from you.
- Groups near youJoin the Indian community groups in your city — chat, plans and people who get it.
- Events near youEvery festival, garba night and meetup, ranked by distance, with RSVP and reminders.
- Buy and sellSarees, kurtas, furniture, kitchen things — from people a few streets away.
- Rent near youRooms and flats from the community, with the person behind the listing one tap away.
Questions people ask
- When is Dussehra in 2026?
- Tuesday 20 October 2026 — the day after Navratri ends and the last day of Durga Puja. In 2027 it is Saturday 9 October.
- Where is Ravana burnt outside India?
- At the big community fairs rather than on the day itself: the Hindu Council of Australia’s Deepavali fairs in Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide, the Dussehra–Diwali melas in the US and Canada, and a few temple grounds in the UK. Every one posted is listed above with its date.
Other festivals
Organising something?
Post it from the app under Events, wherever you are. It is free, a moderator checks it, and it appears here and to every member nearby. Running several a year? Email hello@namaste.community for a listing invite.